So I've heard of all the great benefits and all, but no one talks about the down side of it (if there's any). How long will it last? At what temp will it melt? Any more info will be appreciated.

mokedaddy

12-08-2007, 08:28 PM

How long it lasts and how hot it melts are usually dependent on the kind of clay itself. Most is somewhere in the area of up to 150&#176;.

mlstrass

12-09-2007, 12:30 AM

I prefer rope caulk...

evers

12-09-2007, 08:54 PM

More info on the rope caulk, please>

mlstrass

12-10-2007, 01:01 AM

rope caulk can be found in the weatherstripping section of HD, Menards, etc...

xtremekustomz

12-10-2007, 05:01 PM

What are you using the clay for? For a seal or for an acoustic deadener? Clay is s wonderful thing to have inside any enclosure and for a lining inside kick panels. It gets pretty hot here during the summer and mine has never "melted" Probably 140+ inside the truck. I get mine from Michael's. As for the rope caulk, I guess it works good for a seal but I wold prefer a type of weather stripping.

tcguy85

12-10-2007, 05:42 PM

i have never used the rope caulk or the clay.

i think i have a pretty good seal around my baffle... http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/cavalier94sq/IMG_1866.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/cavalier94sq/IMG_1853.jpg

LoudCrownVic

12-10-2007, 05:47 PM

Modelling clay *****. i used the Roseart stuff from wal mart and it just made a mess out of everything. Fell off right away.

The non-hardening clay I buy and use in my car has not, and will not melt. It is, in fact, modeling clay that has wax added to it so that it will not dry out and harden.

Good material because it it's...
- easily formable with your fingers
- holds it form over time (plasticity)
- can be reused
- has pretty good weight to surface area ratio (mass)
- reduces the RF of the substrate (elasticity)
- sticks to a lot of different mediums
- "squishes" out of the way if you using it as a decoupler

Get a few pounds of NHMC and some cheap-o lead fishing sinkers and you have one nice mass loading compound that will do all the things i listed above and more. :)

bikinpunk

12-10-2007, 06:01 PM

I've used modeling clay a couple of times, and won't again.

The last go-round I used deadener and plastic cutting board for baffle.

The non-hardening clay I buy and use in my car has not, and will not melt. It is, in fact, modeling clay that has wax added to it so that it will not dry out and harden.

Good material because it it's...
- easily formable with your fingers
- holds it form over time (plasticity)
- can be reused
- has pretty good weight to surface area ratio (mass)
- reduces the RF of the substrate (elasticity)
- sticks to a lot of different mediums
- "squishes" out of the way if you using it as a decoupler

Get a few pounds of NHMC and some cheap-o lead fishing sinkers and you have one nice mass loading compound that will do all the things i listed above and more. :)

we drive the same car and i am not as smart as you, odd:confused:

poop5678

12-10-2007, 06:06 PM

i used modeling clay for the first time on my CMX install i did in august. i was also concerned about it melting cause i have a black on black car. but despite the fact that it got pretty **** hot here in august, the clay didnt move a bit and still sticks perfectly. best part is Michaels had different colors, so i got black so you cant see it through the grill :) i think its great and it also helps when your baffles arent mounted to a flush surface (like mine)..it just fills in the gaps. still havent even deadened my door and theres little to no rattleing with 200wrms to each comp :) i say go for it, cheap as hell and works great AND as mentioned b4, its reusable.

FoxPro5

12-10-2007, 06:12 PM

we drive the same car and i am not as smart as you, odd:confused:

Have you ****ed your install up more than you've got it right and learned what works and what doesn't in the process? :)

This works, but it will be better when I re do it.....

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l173/barnz008/P1010069.jpg

....I know this because I was willing to try and experiment in the first place.

Chocolate ice cream with sprinkles! ;)

Scoobydoo

12-10-2007, 06:14 PM

i have gone the lazy route

bought some a/d/s components and a clarion amp for my car 2+ years ago...they are both still sitting in the boxes

evers

12-10-2007, 09:43 PM

i have never used the rope caulk or the clay.

i think i have a pretty good seal around my baffle... http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/cavalier94sq/IMG_1866.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n159/cavalier94sq/IMG_1853.jpg

That's what I was thinking.

JimJ

12-10-2007, 09:45 PM

The point of the clay isn't to seal up the baffle.

:fyi:

evers

12-10-2007, 09:46 PM

What are you using the clay for? For a seal or for an acoustic deadener? Clay is s wonderful thing to have inside any enclosure and for a lining inside kick panels. It gets pretty hot here during the summer and mine has never "melted" Probably 140+ inside the truck. I get mine from Michael's. As for the rope caulk, I guess it works good for a seal but I wold prefer a type of weather stripping.

It's for my door speakers (cdt 6.5's) I'm just gatthering as much input on door deadning as I can. Tha clay so far was my more questionable step.

JimJ

12-10-2007, 09:47 PM

In addition, clay can be used on a driver's basket if it has basket resonances...I've seen clay and epoxy work for this...

evers

12-10-2007, 09:52 PM

So the clay helps dampen some of the sound. Also what's the life span. I'm not planning to change the system for a while. Just trying to think ahead.

FoxPro5

12-10-2007, 10:09 PM

So the clay helps dampen some of the sound. Also what's the life span. I'm not planning to change the system for a while. Just trying to think ahead.

Clay vs Constrained Layer Damping (CLD) - what most people refer to as "sound deadening" mat.

The ability to dampen sound depends on the adhesion of the damper to the resonant surface. Not all CLD products are created equal.

If your baffle is not dense enough, then consider denser materials in the build. Lead is the #1 choice here. It has a density five times greater than poured concrete. It's also an idea blocker of sound because it's just so difficult to move.

HDPE is more dense than MDF and has a different RF.

If the baffle build materials are within the passband of your driver (60 hz to 2 khz ??) then you can modify them to either move them above or below the passband.

Fiberglass has a RF of like 4k IIRC. So it can also be used.

Alternating materials and giving the sound more to "work" though will certainly be a benefit.

I added clay to my baffle because it helped make a great gasket between it and the plastic door card.

req

12-10-2007, 11:07 PM

just pick the right kind of clay.

the clay i used melted off my door. i started noticing white gooey **** comming out from between the door card and the door panel. so i popped the door off after several cleanings, and found the clay melted off and was all sitting at the base of the door card puddling about.

i got it at michaels and it came in a plastic wrapped rectangle and said 'modeling clay' on it. make sure you read the fine print for a temperature on there.